ANGELAward

2016 Angel Award

Elise Wessels

Elise Wessels boasts a life-long history of support of the arts. In late 2010 she received the Dutch Patron of Art Award from the professional jury for her Japanese museum. In 2013 she was appointed Knight in the Oder of Oranje-Nassau by Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands for her commitment to music and arts in general in the Netherlands.

Elise Wessels hosts a private museum under the name Nihon-No-Hanga. Based in a beautiful canal house in Amsterdam she opens up her extensive collection of Japanese prints a few weeks per year. With more than a thousand images she owns the largest collection of these works in Europe. Admission to visit the museum is free and she welcomes approximately 2.000 visitors annually. Her collection is designated to be donated to the Rijksmuseum in due time to remain available for audiences to enjoy.